Maple Thyme Delicata Squash with Chicken Breast in Pinot Sauce

Recipe by Executive Chef, Alexis Aquino

  • whole Chicken Breast (deboned)

  • ¼ cup Olive Oil (plus extra for sauteing)

  • 1 tsp minced Garlic

  • 1 tsp minced Shallot

  • Salt & Pepper to taste

  • 2 cups Chicken Broth (plus a splash extra for the slurry)

Ingredients

  • 1 large Red Onion, cut into ½ inch rounds

  • 1 Delicata Squash, cut into ½ inch rounds

  • 2 tbl Apple Cider Vinegar

  • 1 tbl plain Greek Yogurt

  • 2 tbl maple syrup

  • 1 tbl fresh Thyme leaves

  • 1/4 cup Pinot Grigio (or any other dry white wine)

  • 2 tbl Butter

  • 1 tsp Corn Starch

Utensils

  • Oven-safe sauté pan

  • Chef's Knife

  • Sheet Pan

  • D1 bowls

  • Cutting Board

  • Metal Fork

Cooking Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375.

  2. Oil the bottom of a sheet pan and lay the onions and squash out flat without overlapping.

  3. In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup olive oil, apple cider vinegar, yogurt, maple syrup and thyme with a few pinches of salt & a dash of pepper.

  4. Baste the squash and onions generously with the mixture. Roast for 15 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.

  5. Pour enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of an oven safe sauté pan.

  6. Season your chicken breast generously with salt & pepper.

  7. Heat the oil over medium high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the chicken breast, brown on one side then flip the breast and place the pan in the oven. Bake until the breast is firm to the touch (10 – 15 minutes depending on the size of the breast).

  8. Remove the breast from the pan and flip onto a cutting board or plate to allow it to rest.

  9. Deglaze the pan with white wine, then add the butter, minced garlic and shallots and sweat for a couple minutes on a medium flame until they begin to soften. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil then slowly add a slurry created from the teaspoon of starch mixed into a splash of chicken broth (make sure there are no lumps), stir constantly as you add the slurry.

  10. Once the sauce thickens, plate the chicken sliced with sauce drizzled over it next to the delicata and onions.

Note: A delicious veggie alternative for the chicken is to substitute with a portabella cap, which can be seared in the same way without putting it in the oven and make the wine sauce using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.